Wildfires Rage Across Eastern Russia, Raising Fears Of A Repeat Of Last Summer

HUNDREDS OF WILDFIRES have been reported in eastern Russia over the past 24-hours, sparking fears of a repeat of last year's devastating fires which killed dozens of people.

So far, 421 wildfires have been reported, most of which are contained to places of low population such as parts of Siberia and the Urals, the BBC reports. However, the wildfires have already covered an area twice the size of that affected during the same period last year.

The wildfires that broke out during the intense heatwave that beset Russia last year were the worst in recorded history, destroying a quarter of the country's crops and killing many people. Reuters reports that hundreds are believed to have lost their lives in the sweltering heat of last summer.

More than 6,000 personnel have been deployed to tackle the flames and, so far, 241 of the fires reported have been successfully extinguished.